Paper Moon

Paper Moon focused on work that, in one way or another, served as a substitute for the real
thing. The emphasis of this exchange was not on artifice but rather on a sincere effort
to imitate an ideal, the desire for which may be motivated by limited circumstances,
need, adoration, and longing, rather than greed or irony. The show examined how these
substitutes were intended to function, the nature of their appeal, and what role authenticity
and our ability to “make believe” played in the proffered illusion.

The idea for this exhibition began with a documentary about teenage magicians and
evolved into a project in which the sleight of hand and trickery behind the illusion
is made evident, but the willingness to be entertained remains. The title, Paper Moon, was borrowed from a Depression-era song, “It’s Only a Paper Moon,” written by Harold
Arlen and made popular by versions released by Ella Fitzgerald and Nat King Cole during
the later years of World War II. It referred to a paper maché world of theater sets,
homemade high school dance props, and parade floats—inexpensive backdrops that provide
a bit of temporary glamour or romance.

E-Catalogue for iPad Winner of the American Alliance of Museums received the top 2013 Honeysett & Din
Student Gold Award for media and technology.

Catalogue (pdf) Print versions of the catalogue are for sale at the ZMA for ten dollars.

Image: Adam Parker Smith. This Side of Paradise (I Lost All My Money in the Great
Depression and All I Got Was This Room) (detail), 2012. Mixed media wall treatment.
Courtesy of the artist. Photo by Adam Parker Smith.